Good news, ladies. If you're a medical card holder, you will be able to get the emergency contraception pill for free without a prescription from July.
Minister for Health Simon Harris made the announcement this morning at the Irish Pharmacy Union's (IPU) annual conference this morning. He said, "All women, regardless of means- should have access to emergency contraception through their pharmacy."
Since 2011, pharmacists have been able to provide the 'morning after' pill for free, but female medical card holders have needed to go their GP to get a prescription to obtain the pill for free.
This has posed a problem for women as the pill becomes less effective with each added day between having unprotected sex and taking the pill. The morning after pill is most effective within the first three days of having unprotected sex. For example, taking the emergency contraceptive 24 hours after unprotected sex reduces the chance of becoming pregnant by up to 95 per cent. After 72 hours, this decreases to 89 per cent.
The IPU welcomed the decision this morning. It released a statement saying, "Unintended pregnancy has long been acknowledged as a significant global health, social and economic problem, and crisis pregnancy is an area of grave concern, with the potential to cause great distress to those affected.
"Emergency contraception is time-sensitive. Its effectiveness diminishes between the time of unprotected sex and the time of taking it, emphasising both the importance of all women being able to readily access it and thus the value of the convenience and accessibility offered by community pharmacies."
The IPU commented on the problem that the cost of prescription-free emergency contraception posed for women on lower incomes: "The necessity to attend a GP for a prescription has always been an unnecessary barrier and has also meant that the poorest and most vulnerable women in Irish society have not been treated equitably with private patients in terms of access to EHC."
Currently, Norvelo and Levonelle are the three-day pills available to women in Ireland, while EllaOne is the five-day pill. Until 2015, all women needed a prescription for the highly-effective EllaOne pill. The copper coil or post-coital IUD is also available five days after unprotected sex.
With medical card holders accounting for 22 per cent of women who seek the morning-after pill, this news will surely be welcomed.
